Reality competition series “The Apprentice” could be the reason President Donald Trump got involved in politics and ran for president. The series last aired in 2015, but Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) could be bringing back a rebooted version.
Here are the details.
Amazon Wants More “The Apprentice”
From 2004 to 2015, “The Apprentice” aired on NBC and was widely watched by people who tuned in to see which contestant would end up with the prize of a salary and job working for businessman Donald Trump.
The show aired around 186 episodes from 2004 to 2015, with Trump as the host for the majority of episodes and the “Celebrity Apprentice” spinoff series, according to Variety.
With Trump busy as president, Amazon executives have discussed rebooting the series with a familiar face as the show’s host. Donald Trump Jr., the son of Trump, is being considered as the new host, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Trump Jr. was featured on the series in the past alongside Trump siblings Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump. The president previously said his first choice to take over hosting duties would be Ivanka, according to Variety.
Amazon has not made its full pitch to the Trump family yet, according to the report.
The e-commerce giant landed the back catalog of old “The Apprentice” episodes as part of its acquisition of MGM’s television and movie assets. The old episodes currently stream on Prime Video.
A reboot of the series would find a home on Prime Video, according to the report.
Trump’s famous “You’re Fired” line was used to send contestants home on episodes. With Trump Jr. as the new host, the famous line would stay inside the family. The report did not name what the prize would be and if it would be for the chance to work for The Trump Organization, a business currently run by Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
“Since our acquisition of MGM, we have had preliminary internal discussions about what’s next for ‘The Apprentice’ as a property,” said an Amazon spokesman to the Wall Street Journal, adding that the show isn’t in active development and any potential host hasn’t been selected.
News of a potential reboot comes after Amazon spent $40 million to acquire the rights to “Melania,” a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump. The company also spent another $35 million in reported marketing costs, making the film a likely financial loss.
Show’s Impact On Trump’s Presidential Run
Author Maggie Haberman said that “The Apprentice” helped shape the way voters saw Trump and ultimately led to his running for the presidency. The details were shared in the book “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.”
There could not have been a President Trump without “The Apprentice,” Haberman told Deadline, adding: “[Trump] was playing this character that was created by [his book] ‘The Art of the Deal’… that was how the public interpreted him.”
Haberman believes Trump may have come close to being president without the help of the show, but his 2016 election victory would not have happened had “The Apprentice” not been a hit.
“I don’t think he would’ve been the president without ‘The Apprentice.’ I asked him that question in one of our interviews, and he didn’t … if memory serves, he didn’t take an opinion on it. But I just don’t see how it would’ve happened, based on my interviews with people,” Haberman said. “There is almost no doubt in my mind.”
Haberman also credits “The Apprentice” producer and creator Mark Burnett, former NBC boss Jeff Zucker, and WME agent Ari Emanuel in helping to create Trump as a reality TV personality.
“As I said before, I think that without Donald Trump, the reality star, there is not a Donald Trump, president.”
Image via Shutterstock
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